The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered Review: A Shiny New Coat of Paint
Naughty Dog's latest version of The Last of Us Part II gives the game far more replayability.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is the third remaster/remake that PlayStation developer Naughty Dog has released in a span of two years, and by most accounts, it's another great re-release from the studio. Naughty Dog's previous venture in this space, The Last of Us Part I, fully remade the original PS3 game to great effect, which definitely isn't the same treatment that has been given here with Part II Remastered. That's not to say that this new iteration of The Last of Us Part II is disappointing, because it isn't by any means. Outside of a few new bells and whistles, though, this PS5-only iteration of the second The Last of Us entry doesn't contain a whole lot that will demand the attention of PlayStation fans in the way that Part I may have.
For the most part, The Last of Us Part II Remastered is the same game that Naughty Dog released back in 2020. The core game and all of its post-release updates are included here, which is to be expected. It surely goes without saying, but The Last of Us Part II's story mode is still fantastic and is very much worth playing (or replaying) here with this new release, especially given that it now features commentary from the devs and actors behind the game.
When it comes to The Last of Us Part II Remastered's prowess as a remaster, it's hard to see a drastic jump in visual fidelity. That's not to say that the game isn't pretty, because it absolutely is and is likely one of PlayStation's best-looking games ever. That being said, dubbing this release a "remaster" is perhaps generous, especially given that the PS4 Pro version of the game already looked fantastic in its own right. This is doubly true when taking into account how it previously ran on PS5 following Naughty Dog's release of a performance optimization patch back in 2021. Make no mistake, this is the prettiest that The Last of Us Part II has ever looked, but you likely won't notice a huge step up in graphics as you would with many other remasters.
Outside of this boost in visuals, Naughty Dog has also included a couple of other new features that are unique to this release. One of those is dubbed Lost Levels, which is essentially a look at cut content from The Last of Us Part II that Naughty Dog removed for one reason or another. More than anything, these levels provide a lot of neat context into how game development works behind the scenes and sheds some interesting insight into Naughty Dog's process of crafting its projects. Other than this, though, the levels themselves aren't all that fascinating (outside of a couple of added story wrinkles) and it's easy to see why they were removed from the base game.
Far and away the most notable new addition to The Last of Us Part II Remastered is No Return, which is a new roguelike-style game mode. This mode allows you to play as Ellie, Abby, and a litany of other characters from the cast of The Last of Us Part II, most of which for the first time. No Return allows you to advance through a series of encounters with each one becoming progressively more difficult. While you might start out simply taking down a couple of W.L.F. soldiers in the early levels, you'll eventually progress to having to take on hordes of infected that can even include Part II's iconic Rat King. In between each stage, you can buy new weapons and upgrade your gear with currency that you earn after completing a given level. It's a pretty basic structure but it's one that also evolves over time you'll begin to unlock new rewards and modifiers that can then be used to keep things feeling fresh.
My biggest gripe with No Return lies with its pacing. Compared to other roguelike or roguelite games, No Return is much slower-paced and has a lot more downtime with its combat. Part of this is because of how The Last of Us Part II operates at a gameplay level, as the title is much more about preparation and stealth than it is about mowing down hordes of enemies. Still, encounters play out in No Return in a wave format, which means that once you defeat one group, you'll then have to wait 20 or 30 seconds for the next wave to start. This leads to levels feeling a bit stilted and has me believe that a single, mass encounter would have been a better approach for each level rather than this wave system.
More than anything, though, what makes No Return great is that it is entirely about gameplay. While The Last of Us Part II is often talked about by fans for its story, it's also arguably the best game that Naughty Dog has ever crafted in terms of its combat mechanics and systems. For the studio to add No Return to The Last of Us Part II's overall package means that it will get a lot more life out of this great gameplay, which is especially nice to see in the wake of Naughty Dog scrapping its The Last of Us multiplayer game.
The best thing about The Last of Us Part II Remastered by far is that PlayStation isn't looking to charge full price for those that already own the original PS4 game. Rather than demanding $60 or $70, anyone who already bought The Last of Us Part II can upgrade to Remastered for only $10. To me, this really saves The Last of Us Part II Remastered from being a hard sell. Even though No Return is fun, the Lost Levels are interesting, and the new guitar free-play mode is enjoyable to toy around with, a $70 ask for this remaster would have been a difficult value proposition. Instead, a mere $10 charge to upgrade to this version of the game is something that I think most The Last of Us fans should take advantage of.
If you still don't have your fill of The Last of Us Part II nearly four years after its arrival, this PS5 remaster is a pretty easy recommendation. No Return, in particular, gives Part II some post-game content of sorts that should keep it feeling fresh for the foreseeable future. This combined with the fact that The Last of Us Part II now looks better than ever before makes this the "definitive" version of the game and should help bridge the gap to a potential The Last of Us Part III.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
*An advance copy of The Last of Us Part II Remastered was provided by PlayStation for the purpose of this review.
